3/1 To Win
Abdoul Camara has revealed his delight at making his return from injury in Derby County’s midweek win at Preston North End.
The 26-year-old Guinea international winger, who joined Derby from French top flight side Angers in January of this year, failed to make an appearance in pre-season after sustaining a muscle injury.
Being sidelined for a number of weeks denied him the opportunity to make an immediate impression on new manager Nigel Pearson in a game situation.
After working his way back to fitness he came off the bench in the latter stages of Derby’s 1-0 win at Preston and played a part in Craig Forsyth’s winning goal.
Camara says he wants to repay Pearson’s faith in him after offering plenty of encouragement during his time on the sidelines.
“I enjoyed playing again,”he told Rams Player HD.
“The injury has not been easy for me but I was happy to come back and get some minutes on the field.
“It was good for me(to be involved in the goal) and good for the team. I was just happy because we won; that’s what I want. Against Preston, we fought together and we must do that every time.
“The manager makes me confident every day and I want to repay that.”
Camara, who made just a handful of appearances in the second half of last season, is determined to make an impact in a Derby shirt this season.
After adapting to life in a new country and learning a new language, he is hoping to feature more regularly under Pearson.
He added: “It is not easy to come to a new country, learn a new language and learn new football.
“I watched the games and learned the language; now maybe I am ready.”
Camara admitted his time on the sidelines during pre-season was frustrating.
During that difficult time, Derby boss Pearson spoke to the player to make sure he was focused on his rehabilitation work.
Camara also believes he will benefit, from a physical aspect, from the work he undertook during the Rams’ pre-season preparations.
He said: “For the first time in my career I’ve done a pre-season like this!
“It was hard, hard work. It was difficult for me because I was injured but I will be fitter again soon. It is good to work hard; if I work hard like this I will be able to run every time.
“I hope the injury is gone because it was frustrating. I don’t like to watch and not play. It was not easy to watch everyone training and I was just running on my own.
“The manager told me at that time to be focused in my mind and I want to give something back.”
Camara has described Derby’s home fixture against Aston Villa this afternoon as a ‘big game’.
The wideman said upon his arrival at the club back in January he wanted to help push Derby towards the Premier League – and he remains determined to achieve that goal.
He said: “It is a big game. I play football for a game like this, a big game. I hope that there are more big games ahead for us.
“I said when I joined this club I wanted to help this team go up and nothing has changed. I want to be in the Premier League and I will fight for this.”
On the support he has received from Derby’s fans, he added: “If they like me that is good. I want to make them happy.”
